The 2022 Digicel Cup Franchise Managers Conference was hosted on Wednesday at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby with the theme of the Conference being “Taking the Game Higher.”
A total of 11 Franchise Managers together with PNGRFL executives gathered to discuss and come up with better ways in which to manage and improve the quality and level of the country’s only semi-professional rugby league competition.
The main highlights of the conference included the announcement of the Digicel Cup 5 Year Strategic Plan, the PNGRFL Banis Protocol for the Digicel Cup Competition as well as the new Organizational Structure for the NRLC.
Franchise Managers expressed numerous concerns regarding the overall management of the competition from players’ welfare and professional development to improving administration and operations of the Digicel Cup Competition going forward.
Lae Snax Tigers Franchise Manager Mr Joe Krammer expressed concerns regarding the salary cap limit for each Digicel Cup player.
He further queried if the PNGRFL could come up with a salary ceiling guideline which franchises can use as a guide to come up with salary packages which commensurate with each players’ level of performance.
“If the PNGRFL can come up with a ceiling as to how much a player can be paid depending on their level of skills and experience, franchises can then know how to safely compensate their players.”
“If they have this guide, they will be able to make better decisions for their teams and not have to end up losing their best players to other well advantaged Digicel Cup Franchises who are able to compensate players better,” Mr Krammer said.
The Snax Tigers Franchise Manager raised this concern after noticing the movement of best players every year to franchises who are financially sound thus resulting in other young franchises having to struggle during the season with their younger, inexperienced teams.
He said this movement by best players in search of the best contract deals then makes the competition less competitive as they are all now cramped up in three or four financially stable teams while the rest of the teams have only a few stronger players and said that this makes the competition a little unfair.
PNGNRLC General Manager Mr Ora Gairo said the issue of salary cap will be looked into as well as other important matters discussed and better processes put in place to manage these as the competition progresses throughout the year.
He said for now, franchises must work with their players to ensure player registration is complete and vaccination cards presented for each player in time for the commencement of the competition on the 17th of April 2022.